


You had a speech, you’re speechless

by ShipsandFics27



Category: Madam Secretary
Genre: A Series of Prompts, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I wrote this while listening to champagne problems by Taylor Swift, My attempt at angst, title from Taylor Swift song
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29820897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipsandFics27/pseuds/ShipsandFics27
Summary: A hopefully set of one-shots, some related, in the wonderful universe of Nadine and Mike , with the other characters thrown in.My first attempt at writing for this ship so it will most likely be OOC.P.S I don’t have a beta so apologies for the errors
Relationships: Mike Barnow & Nadine Tolliver, Mike Barnow/Nadine Tolliver
Comments: 22
Kudos: 4





	1. I never was ready, so I watched you go.

For the first time this week, it wasn't the banging in her head that woke her up but the banging at her door. Nadine rolled over and glanced at the screaming red numbers of her alarm clock; 2:39 in the morning.

Who the hell was banging at her door at almost three in the fucking morning? 

Nadine laid back on her silk pillowcase and stared at The ceiling. Waiting. 

*bang bang*

Ok, so it wasn't in her Sleep-deprived brain. The curly-headed brunette pushed her thousand threaded covers from her body and blindly felt for her night robe. So distracted she was from the now continuous banging and figuring out how to knot the damned robe, she almost tripped over a stray high heel by the door. 

"Holy hell," Nadine muttered as she righted herself and continued to the door, ready to murder whoever was at the other side of it. If the neighbors don't call the cops from all commotion, they will call for the strangled body they will find in the hallway. Nadine may be petite, but she still has deadly tricks up her sleeve from decades of living alone. 

With near perfect choreography, Nadine swung the door open and growled, "what?" 

The last person she expected to see at her door was Mike. Nadine's breath cut in her throat as her body froze. Nadine had not seen Mike in nearly two weeks, not since he stormed out of her office in righteous anger and effectively ended whatever it was they had begun. To say Nadine was unprepared for this would be an understatement. 

Out of all the ways she mentally prepared herself to face him again; during a state crisis where there wouldn't be any time to falter and think about being near him also, or perhaps during a state dinner where she would be too busy glad handling to notice how devastatingly handsome Mike looked in a suit. 

Three A.M at her door while she is three days without proper rest nor proper food was not in any of her scenarios. But here he was and Nadine is realizing that almost a full minute has passed and they are just standing in her doorway, staring at each other. Nadine felt her heart speed up almost painfully. Nope, not right now. 

"Mike, what are you doing here?" Nadine mentally congratulated herself for how steadily her voice came out. Now if only her body would take notes from her vocal cords and stop shaking. 

"Can I come in?" Mike's voice sounds almost desperate and now Nadine was a little terrified. With a muted nod, she stepped aside and gestured for him to come in. In complete silence, Nadine watched Mike take off his leather jacket and hang it on her coatrack, and expertly make his way to the couch where he had touched her so many times. Fuck. 

"Mike, what are you doing here? At 3 in the morning?" Nadine asked again. She was not mentally equipped for whatever it was he was trying to achieve here. 

When Mike noticed she didn't completely follow him to the leather couch, he stood up and walked to her. Making the first move. As always. 

Once he was as close to Nadine as he dared to be, Nadine took a subtle deep breath, taking in his wood and spice cologne. God, she hadn't fully realized just how much she missed him until now. Now that he was near her again, breathing the same air, almost at reach. Those two weeks without him suddenly felt like two decades. Fuck. 

"Mike, was there something you wanted to tell me that couldn't wait until morning?" Nadine's voice took an edge, she needed to move this along and have him out of her apartment before the kid she had placed on all the confusing emotions about to popped off like a bottle of Dom Pérignon. 

"I went to a bar tonight, with the intention of taking someone home." The straightforward way that Mike delivered that line made Nadine's previous confusion turn to rage. 

"What? Did you seriously come to my home at three in the fucking morning to tell me you fucked some woman?" Nadine nearly yelled. Mike has said and done some questionable things but this takes the cake. 

"No. I tried. I thought that if I could sleep with someone else, I would be able to forget about you faster." Mike's voice was barely a scratch, as if he was trying to contain a multitude of emotions. But Nadine didn't have it in her to care at the moment, all that she heard was him with another woman. 

"And did it work Mike? Are you completely over me? Why the hell are you telling me this?" All these questions flew out of her mouth without her mind processing it all. Nadine had pride herself as a very stoic woman, even in her heartbreaks she kept a calm exterior. That was breaking at the moment. Three days without sleep, an impromptu visit from an ex-whatever and this, is enough to unbalance even the strongest of people. Nadine was no exception. 

"No, it didn't. I couldn't even bring myself to kiss her because it felt like I was cheating. Ha! Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds Nadine. I couldn't even kiss another woman because it felt like I would be cheating on you! And do you want to know why Nadine? You know what I'll tell you anyways. It's because I'm in love with you. There, I said it. I fell in love with you, you keep me at an emotional distance and I fell I love with you. Now, tell me Nadine; what the hell do I do with that?" By the time he was finished, Mike was just inches away from her, he was shaking and so was she. 

All she could utter was a weak "I don't know" and let the tears stream down her face.


	2. Love slipped being your reaches.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt request on tumblr by @pillar—of—Salt 
> 
> “Wait a second ... are you jealous”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola! 
> 
> So, I’m always bugging @Pillar-of-salt with N/M prompts and requests and it’s only fair she asked me for a prompt, I owe her like 200 at this point lol 
> 
> I posted it on my tumblr and decided to add it here. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, please leave a comment and if you have a prompt or an idea would like me to write please leave me a message on tumblr @shipsandfics27 or leave it in the comments. 
> 
> Happy reading ❤️❤️❤️

As she moved around the elegantly decorated room, Nadine felt eyes on her. It was not the first time, nor it will be the last. Even though she was not a typically vain person, she knew her allure and what she could evoke in any man with a secret smile or a lingering touch. She has used it as leverage in her long-lasting career; in a man’s world, a woman has no choice but to play her advantages. 

Right now, she sees the eyes of the Russian foreign minister on her, and she subtly smooths invisible lines on her off-the-shoulder, black dress. The Secretary needs the minister’s cooperation for the new peace deal they have been working tirelessly on for the past week with the Ukrainian and the Russian President. 

With a deep breath and a mental check, Nadine makes her way to charm the Russian when a voice she hasn’t heard in nearly two months reaches her ears. Nadine turns her head to the left side of the room just in time to see Micheal Barnow make his way into the hall like he owned the place. 

Her breath catches in her throat as she eyes him in his black suit and tie. Hair freshly groomed and a million-dollar smile on his face. Without warning, flashes of her frantic hands running through his hair as he kisses her thighs, making her beg him to “get to it already,” make their way to the forefront of her mind. Nadine unconsciously bit her lower lip and was about to turn away and reprimand herself for her inappropriate thoughts, especially during a work event when she finally noticed the pretty blonde thing draped in his right arm. 

He brought a date. 

Now that she took notice, Nadine can’t help take her eyes off the woman; she has to be in her mid-twenties, clearly had her breast enhanced, and her hair and makeup was done to perfection. Nadine noticed how comfortable Mike looked as he moved around the room, introducing his date to the most influential people in the world. 

Nadine knew in every part of her that this is what Mike wanted to do with her. He had wanted her to be his date, to show her off, take her home at the end, and make love to her all night without a care. But Nadine could never bring herself to admit that she wanted that too, so she watched him leave. 

And now she watched him do all those things with someone else. Someone younger. 

When she couldn’t take the sight anymore, Nadine turned and took a swing of her nearly empty champagne glass. Forget Mike and his blonde. She’s here to work. But like almost everything in life, it is easier said than done because the entire time she was talking up the Russian minister and coercing a meeting with the Secretary, Nadine could feel Mike near her. She couldn’t shake the feeling of his eyes on her; Nadine didn’t dare to risk catching his eyes, so she kept away. She kept doing her job. 

A job that she sacrificed a chance to be close to happy she allowed herself with him for. 

When finally she persuaded the foreign minister to meet with Secretary McCord the next morning, Nadine informed the Secretary and Blake of the schedule change and quickly made her way to the garden. She needed fresh air. 

Nadine only counted five deep breaths before she felt him near her again. Goddamn it. 

She kept her eyes on the freshly trimmed and preened rose garden in front of her, waiting for him to speak. His natural impatience didn’t have her waiting long. 

“Hi, Nadine.” She could tell that he was trying to sound nonchalant and failing. Good, it was good that she was not the only one off-filter. 

“Hello, Mike,” Nadine responded a few seconds later as she turned to face him. Ok, maybe looking into his blue eyes while she has two glasses of champagne and no dinner in her system is not the best idea she’s had. Trying her best to sound unaffected, she wanted to smile at him. They both know it was forced. 

“You look gorgeous.” That had a natural smile form on her crimson-stained lips. He never did hold back on making her feel like the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen or touched. She didn’t know how much she missed that until now. Then she remembered the blonde and her smile disappeared, did he tell her the same thing? Did he help the blonde zip up her dress, kissed her neck, and told her she looked gorgeous?   
Just like he did to her not three months ago when he convinced her to stay in bed longer, and she had no choice but to change for Elizabeth’s birthday dinner at his house. She had forced them to arrive separately then. 

“Thank you, so does your date.” It was childish and petty to be jealous, but damnit, if she could help it, she would. 

Nadine felt Mike step closer to her until he was almost a breath away, a teasing smile already on his lips. She forced herself to stand her ground. 

“Yes, she does look rather nice in that red dress, doesn’t she?” Ok, now he just wanted to get a reaction from her. He is not as unpredictable as he believed himself to be, and Nadine was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered and or acting like a jealous idiot. 

With a nod, she moved to pass by him. There was still much work to be done. As she was about to reach the exit, Nadine felt an achingly familiar hand grab hers and turning her around. Nadine’s eyes widen as she almost lost her balance until she felt him wrap an arm around her waist and pull her a fraction closer. 

Before she could disentangle herself from him, she felt him lean closer. His Tom Ford cologne, the one she helped him choose that one time he convinced her to go shopping with him, drifted into her nose, and it took all of her willpower to not lean into the crook of his neck and inhale his scent. Nadine’s senses were in overdrive; she felt his thumb pressing on her hip, his ocean eyes beckoning her to dive in, and his scent dancing all around her. 

Nadine was so cut up in it all that she almost missed the whispered, “don’t be jealous. There’s no one I’m ever going to want more than you.” And then he was gone, back to the gala, back to showing off the pretty blonde. 

Nadine was left with the roses and lingering scent of his cologne.


	3. Sometimes you just don’t know the answer.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A combination of two prompts; “it’s not what it looks like” from @pillar—of — salt and “Nadine collapses at work due to exhaustion. Protective Mike” from @aststa both from tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola!
> 
> I’m loving this lol writing prompts is so much fun!! 
> 
> I hope I did both the prompts justice and everyone who reads it enjoys. Please leave a comment I love interacting with everyone ❤️❤️
> 
> Happy reading!

"Nadine come to bed." The half-asleep tone of Mike’s voice had a rough edge to it that made an involuntary shiver to course through Nadine's body. It's been nearly a week since she's been home for more than a change of clothes and a quick kiss to placate Mike’s concerns. The Secretary has the entire staff working on overtime, running on fumes and coffee, or in Nadine's case, very strong tea. The Iran peace deal is on its last threads and the Secretary is fighting tooth and nail to sew the pieces back on. 

Which means that Nadine is working twice as hard to get it done. 

When she finished putting on her flat shoes, Nadine went to the lump of sheets and pillows that hid her ... whatever it was that Mike was to her at this point (she was reluctant to call him her boyfriend, she was not in grade school, and lover was a definite no. No matter how much Mike enjoyed calling her his “lover”) and leaned in to give him a goodbye kiss. As soon as she was within reach, Nadine felt Mike's arm snake it's way to her waist and pull her on top of him on the bed. An indignant *yelp* forced its way out of her throat. 

"Mike, let go. I have to be back in the office in less an 30 minutes." As she complained to apparently deaf ears, Nadine tried to push herself from the bed. Without much luck. How can he be so strong, even half asleep? The already exhausted woman asked herself, now beyond irritated. 

"Just take a breath Nadine. The world isn't going to implode if you just take a second." Mike turned them so they were side by side, he pushed a stray curl from her face and took a second to look at Nadine. Her bright eyes were loopy from lack of rest, her skin was a touch sallow from not enough nutrients. God, she's going to work herself all the way for her emergency room. Mike thought with a touch of horror running down his spine. 

"Mike, I don't have a second. I have to go." Once again, she tried to push herself off him, and once more he tighten his hold on her, pulling her a fraction closer. 

"Nadine, you are going to end up in the hospital if you keep going like this. When was the last time you had more than an hour of sleep this week?" 

It was a rhetorical question. Mike already knew that in the past 6 days, Nadine has had a total of two hours of sleep. Combined. He has tried everything to get her to slow down; in the beginning he brought her lunch and had successfully convinced her to shut her eyes for 30 minutes on her office couch. But by the middle of the week, tension between the two parties of the peace deal thicken, and with it Nadine's resolve to fix the problem for Elizabeth so she put in twice as much effort as everyone in the team, including the Secretary of State herself. 

Now Mike knew that she was running on willpower and the occasional tea break that he had tasks Blake to make sure she gets at least. He knew that in the state she was in, food was the last thing on her mind. 

Willpower and dedication can only take a person so far. Even someone as strong and stubborn as Nadine Tolliver. And frankly, Mike was terrified for her health. He was so close to saying fuck it and taking matters into his own hands, her threats of causing him bodily harm if he interfered with her job be damned. 

"A few long nights it's good for morale." That's what she had told the Secretary awhile back, but Mike was a lot harder to convince if him eying her like she had magically grown a second head was of any indication. Nadine sighed, her eyes flicked to the alarm clock by Mike's shoulder and realized she will not make it back to the office in 30 minutes unless she convinced Mike that she was not in the verge of collapse. "Mike, I promise I'm fine, we almost have this deal back on track. I have to go." Nadine leaned in, giving him a deep, lingering kiss and using the distraction to climb over him and pull herself off the bed. She was out of reach before he had a chance to catch on what she was doing. 

With a frustrated sigh, Mike got off the bed, put on his housecoat, grabbed Nadine's hand and reluctantly walked her to the door. He may be frustrated with her inability to understand that she was not invincible but he hadn't truly seen her in almost six days and dammit he missed her. 

After helping her with her coat and passing her the overweighted purse, seriously what the fuck does she have in there? Mike pulled her in for one last kiss and as he hugged her goodbye he couldn't stop himself from pleading to her:

"Please, please at least have some real food today, Nadine I don’t want to get a call saying you are in a hospital from malnutrition and exhaustion. Spare me the heart attack, I beg you." Mike could almost hear her eyes rolling, she pulled back and gave him one last peck on the last. 

"I will be fine. Just a few more days and then I'll ask the Secretary for a day off. Ok?" With a nod, she pulled completely away, opened the door and disappeared from Mike's view. 

A few hours later, Mike was in a meeting with a senator who's cabinet was a dumpster fire, practically begging Mike to fix it in time for his reelection campaign. As Mike listened to the withering excuse for a politician ramble on about his fiasco of staff and half-baked political ambitions, his mind drifted to Nadine. No surprise there, that woman was never too far from his mind. Usually, he would be daydreaming of a steaming bedroom activity that they indulged in or thinking of new ways to have her screaming his name. But today, as has been for the past six days, his thoughts are on ways to convince her to stop and breath, to have a proper rest or to eat actual food before she makes herself sick. 

He is half listening to the bumbling old man, getting more and more immersed in his worries for Nadine's wellbeing, when his phone jolts him out of his reverie. With a halfassed apology, Mike pulls out his ringing phone and read "Blake Moran" on the screen. His heart sinks a little, before he even walks out of the room and answers the phone, Mike already knew that by the weight of the sleepless nights, no food and her anxiety on overdrive Nadine had collapsed. 

Mike is half-listening to Blake explain that he found found Nadine on the floor with a gash of blood spilling from her forehead, already making his way to the car and ending the call with a quick, "already on my way" and swerving his car out of the car park and into traffic. The entire time cursing himself for not trying harder to make Nadine take her health seriously. 

"Fuck. I should've tied her to the bed and told Elizabeth to fuck off with her damn overzealous deals." Even as the thought came out of his mouth in a frustrated growl, Mike knew that the woman he was entranced with would have his balls for even thinking about it. "Damnit." 

Mike knew he went over the speed limit and will mostly receive a ticket on the mail for his hurried driving, but who cares. The only thing that mattered to him at that point was getting to Nadine. God! He warned her, he told her that this would happen and she just brushed it off. Mike growled and hit the gas peddle. 

In less than ten minutes Mike had parked his car in the reserved parking and briskly made his way to the seventh floor. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Mike expertly walked to Nadine's office, when he got there, what he saw nearly had him keen over. 

There she was, laying on her couch, her flat shoes thrown to the side of the room with a needle poking out of her arm pumping fluids into her dehydrated and a large bandaid on the side of her forehead. Taking a deep breath, Mike tried to calm himself, not wanting to make the situation worse by overreacting, even though he really wanted to scream and yell and run to her and take her far away from this cursed building. Mike used all his tricks when dealing with idiotic politicians to school his face and walked in. 

At least he thought he was under complete control of his emotions. Until he walked in and was only a few feet away from the woman he loved, injured and looking half-dead. 

"Nadine." It was barely a whisper but she heard him loud and clear, as well as all the underlying questions he packed in that single utterance of her name. She slowly turned her head towards him and that was all the invitation he needed, in a flash he was kneeling on the side of the couch, and placed a shaking hand on top of hers on her stomach. 

"It's not what it looks like." Was what came out of her mouth. Mike couldn't help but snort a little at her ridiculous attempt to undermine the situation. 

"Really? Because it looks like you're lying on your couch with a needle in your arm after you fainted and hit your head on your table. From over exhaustion." Mike deadpanned and emphasized his point by ghosting a finger over her head injury and fixing her a scowl. 

Nadine sighed and relented. "Ok... it's not as bad as it looks like." 

“Nadine...” once again, Mike couldn’t fathom how she could act so unaffected by what happened, he was about to reprimand her again when he felt her fingers cradle his clenched jaw, her thumb dancing on his cheek. 

“I promise, I’m fine.” Nadine’s voice was soft but strong, he knew that she was trying to stop him from making it a big deal. But it was a big deal. This was never supposed to happen. It couldn’t have happened. Mike felt the urge to stomp to Elizabeth’s office and yell at her for allowing this to happen, but he knew it was not all on her. Nadine was a grown woman, she should’ve known her limits. She did know her limits, she just didn’t care enough to slow down. That was what pissed him off more.

Nadine still put her job first, even before her own damn health. 

How much longer will I be able to stand and watch you work yourself to the grave? Mike thought as he kissed the palm of her hand and coerced her to close her eyes.


	4. Until someone’s on their knees and asks you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #23 “I didn’t know you could do that?” From @pillar-of-salt on tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola!
> 
> There is some direct dialogue from episode 06x01! 
> 
> I notice I’ve been being making the prompts a little angsty and wanted to try a little fluff, I hope you all like it! 
> 
> Happy reading!!

"And that's how the sausage is made." Mike declared, feeling more than relieved that the whole Iran mess was cleared. He spent last night pacing his bedroom thinking of different angles and backup strategies in case the whole thing blew up in the President's face and consequently his face. It got to the point that Nadine had to physically pull the papers from his hands and drag him back to bed. 

"Ew. Don't say that again, you're going to make me go full on vegan." Bess remarked. 

"You got it done. Next order of business, updated choices for the new chief of staff options." Mike already saw the annoyance on Elizabeth's face before he even finished his sentence but it was the perfect time. "Who'd you like?"

"I like this." 

Mike groaned, he was flattered that the President wanted to keep him so badly but it was deeper than not want to deal with people. Although “people” was a great deal part of it. They are so needy and greedy and ugh! But the true reason is currently in his right suit pocket, awaiting its moment. 

"I don't wanna break in anyone new." Bess remarked, emphasizing her point by tossing the list on the wooden floor. 

"Tell that to Jay." Mike said somewhat annoyingly. 

"You gotta let that go." Bess sighed. 

"If you would let me go." Mike throws back with an affirmed nod. 

Seeing the reluctance on his friend's face, Mike let out a deep sigh mentally preparing himself for the emotional baggage he was about to unleash. But what other choice did he have. He’s tried everything else. 

"Look, Bess you know that politics is what I enjoy, I love the thrill and the power plays. But it’s no longer the main focus in my life anymore. After I lost Gordon... I had to re-evaluate what I have left and what I want to make of it. And that’s Nadine. I want to marry her, and I don’t want to wait until I’m sixty to have a spare moment to do it. So let me go! Let me be your consultant instead.” By the time he was finished, Mike didn’t even notice what he had confessed to Elizabeth. Well... until he looked at her face and saw she was staring at him like he was a ghost. 

Oh fuck. 

Speechless. Michael Barnow had rendered the President of the United States speechless. He let the gravity of the words he just spoke weigh in on her. Elizabeth had frozen in her seat, her blue eyes almost comically popping out of their sockets and her mouth hanging open. 

"Marry? As in marriage?" She knew it was a dumb question, but holy shit you can't drop a bomb and expect to have no casualties. Mike's bomb caused the function of Elizabeth's brain cells took a huge hit. 

With a slight smile, Mike reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a small black box. Opened it, showed it to her and gauged his old friend's reaction to the simple, yet elegant French cut ring he had agonized for over three hours at Tiffany's. He had almost driven the sells-woman up a wall with his many, many questions and nervous energy. Until he found the perfect one. The ring was simple, yet had a radiance to it that just screamed Nadine. At least to Mike's love-doped mind. 

"Wow! You... you're serious?!" All Mike could do was nod, an uncontrollable love-sick smile planted on his face. He couldn't help it, it's been so long since he had thought of seriously committing to someone. After all the heart ache that he and Nadine put each other through, now felt like the perfect time to solidify the promise he made her that cold December night, last year. 

"I'm dead serious. Nadine is the last person I'm ever going to love. I want her to know that I'm all in, one hundred percent, for the rest of my life." Mike knew that after Vincent, and all the bullshit he put her through, that she was hesitant to fully commit. That was the root of all the problems they had since the day he told her, in his childish way that he liked her and wanted more of her. But three years and a whole lot of heart aches and tears (on both sides) later, Mike felt that they were ready for this. And if she still had reservations, well... he is not going anywhere. 

Which is what he told Elizabeth, and once again left her speechless. 

"I- I didn't know you could do that?" Elizabeth said softly, mostly to herself. When she saw Mike give her a questioning look, she elaborated. "I didn't know that after everything you went through with Julia, and the divorce, that marriage was still something you could do again." Her voice was soft, she knew this was important for Mike, she was just trying to grasp on the intensity of it all. Marriage? Who would have thought?! 

"I didn't know either, until your bossy and annoying chief of staff got me drunk and had her way with me on election night three years ago." Mike's natural childish charm on full volume, making Elizabeth roll her eyes. 

Ok, so moment over.


	5. Crestfallen on the landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of chapter 3! 
> 
> Nadine’s P.O.V after the events in the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola!!
> 
> This is prompt 227 “Is that what you call an apology?” From the prompt list on my tumblr. The request was sent to me by the awesome @pillar-of-salt ( I believe Pillar is committed to having me write at least 200 fics as payment for all the prompts I send and I absolutely adore it! Lol) 
> 
> I hope all who read like it and please leave me your thoughts. Comments are food for fanfic writers lol 
> 
> Happy reading!!

Nadine fucked up. There was no other way of putting it. She had fucked up. For the past week and a half, all she's done is make a mess of things. She knew she couldn't hold on much longer, that the weight of pure exhaustion was going to crush her eventually. But it was never in her nature to slow down when there was something to accomplish. 

To prove that she was all in. 

And that's what it got down to; she had to prove to Secretary McCord that she could take on all she would throw at her, that she could spend six nights without sleep or proper food to get that deal because she couldn't fail her. Not like before. Nadine refused to allow personal matters to overshadow her professionalism. Not again. She failed before, and she won't again. 

So, the job came first. Before anything else. That's what she told Mike in her office all those months ago; that's what she tells herself every single day because the alternative was too grave even to fathom. 

Until she found herself with a splitting headache, a needle in her arm, and Mike's blue eyes pained with concern and low-grade panic, she had thought herself undoubtedly in control of the situation. 

So, yeah, she fucked up. 

It's been three days since she was betrayed by her humanity and was forced to take a break. Three days of being stuck at home only allowed small tasks of walking and feeding Gordon and scheduling the Secretary's days with Blake doing the bulk of the work. It was torture—this inactivity. But even with all her irritations, Nadine was very much aware that it was her own doing. 

She knew the limits of what her body could handle but had chosen to ignore it in favor of proving a point to herself. Mike also knew all of this. His being able to read her as easily as a priest can give a sermon is the reason why she is sitting on the couch in her nightgown at 9 in the morning, resenting her obstinate need to one-up herself at every turn. That bothersome personality trait has, oftentimes, led her to make bad decisions, like collapsing at work due to exhaustion and having an explosive argument with the man she loves because she refused to acknowledge her recklessness. 

So, yeah, Nadine has properly made a mess of things.

Now, how will she fix what she’s fractured? That’s the million-dollar question. 

A sudden knock on the front door startled Nadine from her thought, and she saw Gordon jump off the couch as well, looking anxious. With a side glance at the over-indulged dog and a sigh, Nadine got up and made her way to the door.

A bouquet of bright red rose immediately assaulted her vision, and she barely noticed the scuffled delivery boy place the scented surprise in her hands before scattering off. With a questioning smile and a new light dancing in her brown eyes, with already a clear knowledge of who sent her these rose, which happen to be her favorite, Nadine carefully made her way to the kitchen. Even when he is irritated with her, even when she’s the one who messed up, Mike still finds ways to make her feel so loved, and unlike any other man that she’s had the nerve to give her heart to, Mike has never carelessly dropped it. And that was sobering in heart-aching ways. 

After placing the roses on the kitchen island, she pulled out the small, hand-written card, the words scratched on the paper making her heart leap, and her smile grow. 

He said: 

“I know what you’re thinking; Flower? Really? Is that what you call an apology? It’s not. I’m way more original than that! The flowers are for Gordon. The French dinner and the opera are for the woman determined to send me to an early grave. We can talk about everything tomorrow; tonight, let’s just slow down and breathe. 

See you tonight, gorgeous. M.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hola!!
> 
> If anyone have any prompts or ideas they would like me to write , please leave a comment or send me a message on my tumblr ShipsandFics27
> 
> Gracias!!


End file.
